Vending-machine.



R. GENOVESB.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 20, 1913.

1,071,732. Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Rosario Genovesefl @1513 his aH'OZHM;

COLUMBIA I'LANOOR/Ull 450-,WA5HINGTON, 11c.

R. GENOVESE.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1013.

7 ,7 2- Patented Sept. 2, 1913,

o 6 4 SHEETS-SHE?! z.

coummm PLANOUIIAPII Cl)..\V/\S!IIN(1TON, n. c.

Rosario Genovese,

R. GBNOVBSB.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.20,1913.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

III]

Rosario Genovese, fl z d ight B. GBNOVESE.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION TILED MAR 20, 1013.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

w 2 1 u w 5 d, 5% w .l J a u m 0a m. mm

Q Vi M wooao: Q1. 2 J

COLUMBIA PUNOGRAPH 0" WASHINGTON. c.

UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE.

ROSARIO GENOVESE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO HARRY SILVERMAN, ONE-FOURTH T0 MORRIS STEINBERG, AND ONE-FOURTH TO PETER TASCANO, ALL OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Application filed March 20, 1913.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1 91 3.

Serial No. 755,616.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RosAnio GENOVESE, a citizen of the United States, and residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending- Machines, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to vending machines and particularly to machines of this class used for vending postage stamps; and the object thereof is to provide an improved machine of this class which is simple in construction, efficient in operation, and which, while being particularly designed for use in vending postage stamps, may also be employed for vending tickets, cards and like devices or articles.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my invention are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which;--

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved vending machine with the casing in which it is inclosed shown in section ;-Fig. 2 a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;-Fig. 4 a front view of the machine with the casing and part of the construction in section, and on the line 44 of Fig. 2;-Fig. 5 a vertical section on the line 55 of Fig. 1;-Fig. 6 a horizontal section on the line 66 of Fig. 2;Fig. 7 a partial vertical section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 2 ;-Fig. 8 a partial section on the line 88 of Fig. 2;-Fig. 9 a partial section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 5, and ;Fig. 10 a par t-ial section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 7

My improved vending machine is placed in a box or casing a which is preferably rectangular in form and approximately square and which, in the form of construction shown, is provided with a bottom a in which is placed a draw a provided with any suitable look a, and the draw a, 1n the construction shown, is placed in any suitable box-shaped member a the top a of which forms the bottom of the main box or casing on which the machine is placed and to which said machine is secured.

Mounted in the left hand portion of the box or casing is a main frame or support Z1 provided with an open base within which is mounted a hopper 0 supported over and slightly in front of an opening a. in the bottom a of the main box or casing and which communicates with the drawer c and the hopper c is rovided with a base 0 which ranges forwarc ly and backwardly of the machine, and beneath the hopper c and within the base (2 is a slide 0 the rear end portion of which is provided with a longitudinal slot 0 and the base 0 of the hopper c is provided with a bottom plate 0'' over which the slide 0 moves, and countersunk in the top and central portion of the rear end of the plate 0 is a flat spring 0 provided with an upwardly curved rear end 0 having a longitudinal open slot a The slide a is provided at its front end with a raised head 0 adapted to abut against the front wall a of the main box or case, and said slide is provided with a handle d which consists of a tube passed loosely through the front wall a of the main box or case and screwed onto the head a of the slide 0 and the handle tube (Z is provided with a head d and operates as a plunger.

Mounted in the handle tube (Z is a spiral spring d the front end of which abuts against the head (Z and the rear end of which abuts against a block cl" mounted in the rear end portion of the handle tube (Z and provided with vertical pins (5 which pass through corresponding longitudinal slots cl in the top and bottom or opposite sides of the handle tube, and the pins (Z bear on the front wall a of the main box or case, and in order to move the slide 0 inwardly, all that is necessary is to force the handle tube (Z inwardly and when the pressure applied thereto is removed, the spring (P will force the handle tube and the slide u outwardly into their outermost positions, as shown in Figs. 2 and (i.

The main frame or support 1) consists of parallel vertical members I) with which is connected a supplemental back frame or support 6 consisting of parts 0 e 6, and e secured together and to the main frame or support, and said main frame or support is also provlded with a horizontal extension consisting of parallel plates f which extend to the right of said main frame or support,all

f on which, in practice, the stamps to be vended are wound, said stamps being con nected in a continuous strip f which 18 perfora ted transversely, in practice, to separate the successive stamps and to form transverse rows between the successive stamps whereby they may be easily detached, but these perforations of the strip are not necessary.

In the right hand end portion of the extension 7 of the main frame is mounted a tension device f preferably consisting of a helical spring the free end f of which bears on the roller f to prevent the too free unwinding therefrom of the stamps. Mounted centrally of the extension f of the main frame is a large guide roller f over which the strip f of stamps is passed, and this guide roller is provided with a cushioned surface f preferably composed of rubber, buti which may be composed of fibrous materia A large main feed roller 9 is mounted in the main frame or support band in the same horizontal plane as the guide roller f and the feed roller 9 is also preferably provided with a cushioned surface 9 and with side flanges g and between the main feed roller 5/ and the guide roller f is placed a smaller guide roller 9* also preferably provided with a cushioned surface of rubber or similar material, and the strip of stamps is passed over the guide roller f beneath the roller g and over the main feed roller g, and mounted directly over the main feed roller 9 is a supplemental and smaller feed roller 9 which bears on the roller 9 or on the strip of stamps as it passes over said feed roller 9, and the roller is also preferably provided with a cushioned surface g.

At the left of the main frame or support 5 is plate standard 7L having a foot piece 7L secured. to the bottom a of the main box or case, and the plate standard it is provided with a transverse head h to the outer side of which is secured a transverse stationary blade M, and to the inner side of which is secured an angle piece it provided with a -horizontal chute a through which the stamps or strip of stamps passes, and the chute 72 is provided with a projecting base tongue piece it which reaches, approximately, the surface of the main feed roller 9, and said chute is also provided with a top spring tongue 77, which also reaches or touches the surface of the main feed roller 9, and in the operation of the machine the stamps, or the strip 7* of stamps, passes between the tongues 71, and its and through the chute M which extends through the plate standard h, as clearly shown in ig. 3

The stationary blade 7L and the angle piece it provided with the chute 71- are both I? secured to the plate standard h by a pin or bolt 7L, and a spring tongue h is also secured to the plate standard h by the pin or bolt 72. and, extends to the left of said plate standard, and the end of the spring tongue -h is in the same plane as the'end of the chute 7L7 and when a stamp is projected from the chute, as shown at f in Fig. 3, it is held in a horizontal position until cut off or detached from the strip f, as hereinafter described, and the said stamp when cut off falls into a delivery chute i which is'shown in full lines in Figs 1, 3 and 4t, and in dotted lines in Fig. '5. 7 l

The chute i may be connected with the tandard plate It in any desired manner and extends downwardly 1 and forwardly and communicates with a transverse slot or opening 2' in the front wall a of the main box or casing, and each time that a stamp is detached it passes down through said chute and out at the front of said box or casing:

The inner top side portion of the chute 2' adjacent to the chute h is open, as shown at i and the opposite side is also open, as shown at i and themain box or case is provided with a transparent panel 2'? through which the above described operation of projecting a stamp and cuttingit off may be seen.

A movable blade is pivoted to the cross head h of the plate standard It, or to the stationary blade if, as shown at j and said movable blade ranges backwardly and is provided at its rear end with a pin which extends to the right and is movable in a ver tical slot in a link 9' pivoted at. its lower end and as shown at j, to a lever j? which is pivoted in the rear of the main box or case at j and the lever 9' extends through :a vertical slot j in the front wall of the main box or case and is provlded Wltllf a handle and a s ring 7' is alaced beneath" the iner end portion of the lever and'nor inally holds it in a raised posit-ion as shown in Fig. 5., and said lever'is provided with a pin or screw j movable in a curved slot j in theplate standard h and which serve .to limit the upward and downward movement of said lever. i j

The pin j extends inwardly in the direction of the main frame or supportnnd a spring is is secured to the'transverse head h of the plate standard it, as shown at if,

and extends backwardly and beneath the pin 7' and the end thereof is curved upwardly, as shown at I63, and said spring serves to hold the blade j in its raised position.

Mounted transversely in the back supplemental frame a is a shaft le through the outer end of which is passed a pin 7& which ranges forwardly and baekwardly and a link k is suspended from the pin j, and the lower end of said link is pivoted at to the forward end of the pin M. The link 7c is nrovided with a slot [U through which the pin j" passes and in the head of said link is a set screw 719 to limit the movement of the pin j" in the slot 76 or regulate the extent of said movement.

The inner end of the shaft is is provided with a spring hammer arm m having a head m which operates as a hammer on a gong secured to the back member of the main frame extensions f and at each operation of the machine, in cutting off a stamp, the hammer m strikes the gong m The main food roller 9 is mounted on a shaft m and the supplemental feed roller is mounted on a shaft m, and the rear end of the shaft m is provided with a wheel a the hub of which is provided with ratchet teeth a five of which are shown, and said hub is also provided with radial arms a which are also five in number, as clearly shown in Fig. 8, and the ends of the arms a are provided with semi-circular recesses n". Pivoted at 0 in the supplemental, frame 6 below the wheel a is an arm 0 the head of which is provided with an upwardly directed nose 0 which operates in the recesses n in the arms a of the wheel n, and the head of said arm is also provided with a backwardly directed finger 0 to which is pivoted a dog 0 Pivoted in the back supplemental frame member a at 0 is a dog 7) the head of which is provided in its front edge with a circular recess 7'1 and the dog 0 is provided with a nose 0 which operates in the recess 29". The dog 0 is mounted on a pivot pin o on which is also mounted a dog 1- having a nose r which operates in connection with the ratchet teeth a on the hub of the wheel a, and the dog 9 is provided with a spring r which operates on the dog 0 and the nose 7' of the dog 1' operates through a slot 0 in the inner side of a casing which forms a part of the back supplemental frame a and in which the dog 72 is mounted.

A spring 8 is mounted rearwardly of the dog p and operates in connection therewith to force said dog forwardly or into the position shown in Fig. 2, and this forward movement of said dog is limited by the nose 7') thereof striking the part c of the supplemental frame 0.

The lower end of the arm 0 is provided with a. finger which operates in the slot 0 in the rear end of the spring 0, and said finger also operates in a groove 0 in the top portion of the bottom plate 0 of the base to of the hopper c.

A tension spring 3" is connected with the arm 0 centrally thereof and with the main frame or support at s, and serves to hold said arm in the position shown in Fig. 2.

The shaft m" of the main food roller 9 is provided at its front end with a large gear a, and the shaft m of the supplemental feed roller provided at its front end with a smaller gear a" which meshes therewith and the supplemental guide roller (1 is provided with a gear .9 which meshes with the gear .9.

The spring f is connected with a sleeve 8 through which is passed a shaft 5' which is provided with a forward extension on which is mounted a reel 8".

The shaft m of the main feed roller {1 is projected forwardly and provided with a feed wheel t. The shaft; t of the guide roller 7' is projected fm-wardly and provided with a tape reel or casing t of the spring drum type, and the shaft t" of the guide roller 9 is also projerfed forwardly and provided with a sleeve bearing 6", and supported directly over the front end of the shaft t" and sleeve hearing i is another sleeve ljioaring t. The main food roller (1 is keyed to its shaft as is also the supplemental feed roller r and the rollers f and o" are loosely mounted on the corresponding shafts t and t.

lVound in the spring tape reel or casing i is an ordinary measuring tape a which serves as a counting tape and is provided with a scale of inches and fractions thereof and also providml, at regular intervals representing a quarter of an inch, with holes a", and the feed wheel 25 on the front end of the shaft m is provided with corresponding sprockets or pins o which pass through the holes if in the tape a, and said sprockets or pins are also five in number, in the construction shown.

In the use of the machine the tape a is drawn out of the tape reel or casing 25 and is passed over the sleeve bearing 15 beneath and around the feed wheel t, back over the sleeve bearing 25 and then back to and con nected with the reel a". The reel s" is provided with a milled hub 42 by which it may be turned and which serves as a handle for this purpose and a friction spring '11 mounted inwardly of said reel prevents the too free turning thereof in the operation of the machine, as hereinafter described.

The feed wheel I is loosely mounted on the shaft m and mounted on the front end portion of said shaft. is a threaded thumb and finger put 2) having a flange '21" adapted t bear on the hub of the wheel 4* so as to press said wheel t in connection with the hub of the gear 8, as shown in Fig. 2, and compel the wheel 15 to turn with the said gear and the shaft m" on which it is mounted.

In the front portion of the machine is a main box or case a.

In beginning the operation of the machine, the tape a is first mounted, as shown in Fig. 4, and as hereinbefore described, and the feed wheel zloosened or released by turning the thumb nut '0 and the tape is fully wound on the reel, 3 until the first of the holes of, which will be indicated by an inch mark on the tape it, bears centrally above the shaft t, after which the feed wheel t is tightened on the shaft m by turning the thumb nut 0". It is also necessary to adjust the strip of stamps f so that the end thereof which is to be fed through the machine between the feed rollers g and will register with one of a number of marks on the feed roller These marks may be placed on the face of the feed roller 9, or on the flange or flanges 9 thereof and will be five in number, and in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings, I have shown these marks on one ofthe flanges at y. After'adjusting the strip of stamps, as described, the rollers g and are turned so as to feed the end of the strip between said rollers until the edge thereof is flush or even with the end of the tongue 7v of the chute if at if. The adjuster of the machine then drops a coin into the chute w and forces the plunger handle (Z inwardly and the mechanism of the machine is operated to drop the said coin into the draw a and to project the end of the stamp strip through the chute 7L so that the front edge of the end stamp will be even with the edge of the stationary blade The machine is now in condition for use, and by the insertion of a coin through the slot 10 and the operation of the plunger handle (Z, as hereinbefore described, a stamp will be projected into the delivery chute 2', as shown at f, and cut oil and dropped in said chute and delivered at the front of the box or case, and at the same time the tape a will be turned one step, and it will also be understood that by means of this tape the number of stamps vended at any particular time may be determined as may also the number still remaining in the strip wound on the roller f*.

In the operation of the machine, a party desiring a stamp drops a coin through the slot 4.0 into the chute w and said coin aasses V down into the hopper 0 and falls onto the plate 0 as shown at a, in Fig. 2 and Fig. 6. The handle tube (Z which operates as a plunger is then forced backwardly and this operation moves the slide 0 backwardly and said slide forces the coin m backwardly, as shown in dotted lines at m in Fig. 6, until it strikes the finger 0 of the :arn1 0 in .0 reaches the limit of its backward movement, in which position of said arm the finger 0 extends downwardly back. of the coin at m as indicated in dotted lines at m in said figure. It will be understood that theslot c in the slide 0 is to enable said slide to clear the spring cin the above described operation, and during the backward movement of the arm 0 and the coin w, as above described, the nosey) of the dog 7) is forced backwardly by'the dog 0 against the operation of the spring a, and at the same time the wheel a and the shaft m are turned one step by the dog 1 the nose of which engages one of theratchet teeth a on the hub of the wheel a, this operation being due to the spring r of the said dog r which engages the dog 0 and the movement of the wheel n is limited by the nose 0 of the arm 0 entering the recesses a in the end of one of the arms "a of said Wheel; 7 V

The above described operation of the shaft m turns the feed wheel 25 of the tape a one step, and said tape is moved one step and is rewound to this extent in the spring drum or reel 6 In this operation, as will be understood, the strip of stamps is fed one step, or the length of one stamp, forwardly between the feed rollers g and g and the first stamp passes through the chute 77 and is projected, as shown at f in Fig. 3, and at this time the blade j is depressed by the forward movement of the dog p due to the operation of the spring .9 into the position shown in Fig. 2, which operation depresses the link a due tothe rotation of the shaft if and the pin 70 connected therewith and with said link.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the blade j is operated together with the rest of the mechanism of the ma chine by the inward movement of the handle tube or plunger d, but I also provide means for operating theblade indepeneent of the other mechanism of the machine, and this means consists of the lever j and the link j connected with said blade, as shown and'as hereinbefore described, and, if, at any time,

a stamp should not be fully severed by the first downward and automatic movement of the blade 7', said blade may be operated by means of the lever 7' which can be depressed by hand, as will be readily understood, for V l the purpose of cutting off or severing astamp from the strip f, and a stampso cut oil will pass downwardly through said chute i and out through the slot or opening 2' in the front of the casing or machine. 7

From the foregoing description it will also be apparent that each time that a coin is.-

dropped into the chute w and the plunger handle (Z forced backwardly, the machine will be operated as herein described, and a stamp will be projected into the delivery chute i and cut oft and be delivered at the front of the machine, andwhile I have described my machine as preferably for use in vending stamps, it will be apparent that my invention isnot limited to this use, as the machine may be used for vending tickets or cards of any kind or class arranged in strips, and said tickets or cards, as well as stamps, may be of any size and the stamps may be of any denomination, it being understood that the coin chute w and slide mechanism at the bottom of the hopper 0 may be regulated to any desired extent to correspond with coins of any dimensions, and it will also be understood that the tape a and the spaces between the holes a may be regulated as may be desired, as may also the feed wheel 25 and the pins 15 connected therewith, and the construction and arrangement of the machine, as a whole, may therefore be such as to vend stamps, tickets or cards arranged in strips and of any dimensions, and various changes in and modifications of the form, construction and operation of various parts of the ope 'ative mechanism of my improved machine may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

From the foregoing description it will also be seen that each quarter inch movement of the tape a and each quarter inch movement of the feed wheel t results in the projection of one stamp through the chute It, or the projection of the strip f through said chute to the extent of the length of one stamp, and the wheel a being provided with five arms 71%, it will be seen that the main feed wheel 9 is moved one-fifth of a revolution at each operation of the machine, and the circumference of this wheel, therefore, must be just five times the length of a stamp, or equal to the length of live stamps.

After the backward movement of the slide and the movement of the coin a; over the spring 0 into the position shown at w, as hereinbefore described, and the depression of said spring in this operation, the said spring rises into the position shown in Fi 2, and in the forward movement of the arm 0 the finger 0 thereof forces the coin forwardly, and in this movement the said coin passes under the raised end of the spring a and falls through the aperture a7 into the draw a and at the end of this movement the parts of the machine are in position to be again operated by the insertion of a coin into the chute t0 and the backward movement of the handle tube or plunger (Z, due to the action of the spring 8.

Having fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isz- 1. In a machine for vending stamps, tickets and the like arranged in flexible strips, a casing, a frame mounted therein, a delivery chute supported in connection with said f time, a strip feed chute adjacent to and communicating with the delivery chute, a main feed roller mounted adjacent to the strip feed chute and forming a part of a series of rollers adapted to support a flexible strip, a pivoted operating arm, a wheel mounted on one end of the shaft of the main food roller and provided with radial arms which operate in connection with the pivoted operating arm and on one side thereof with a ratchet, a main spring controlled dog, a supplemental spring controlled (log operatcd by said arm and engaging said ratchet, another supplemental spring controlled dog operated by said arm and engaging the main spring controlled dog, whereby, at each op eration of said arm said strip will be projected through the strip feed chute one step, and a blade also operated by said arm for cutting off a part of said strip at each movement of said arm,

2. In a machine for vending stamps, tickets or the like, arranged in flexible strips, a casing, a frame mounted therein, a delivery chute supported in connection with said frame, a strip feed chute adjacent to and communicating with the delivery chute, a main feed roller mounted adjacent to the strip feed chute and forming a part of a series of rollers adapted to support a flexible strip, a pivoted operating arm, a wheel mounted on one end of the shaft of the main feed roller and provided with radial arms which operate in connection with the pivoted operating arm and on one side thereof with a ratchet, devices operated by said arm and adapted to engage said ratchet and turn the main food roller one step at each operation of said arm, and a pivoted blade operated by said arm for cutting a stamp from the end of said strip at each movement of said roller.

3. In a machine for vending stamps, tickets or the like, arranged in flexible strips, a casing, a frame mounted therein, a delivery chute supported in connection with said frame, a strip feed chute adjacent to and communicating with the delivery chute, a main feed roller mounted adjacent to the strip feed chute and forming a part of a series of rollers adapted to support a tlexible strip, a pivoted operating arm, a wheel mounted on one end of the shaft of the main feed roller and provided with radial arms which operate in connection with the pivoted operating arm and on one side thereof with a ratchet, devices operated by said arm and adapted to engage said ratchet and turn the main feed roller one step at each operation 01": said arm, a pivoted blade operated my invention I have signed my name in by said arm for cutting a stamp from the presence of the subscribing witnesses this end of said strip at each movement of said 17th day of March, 1913.

roller, and hand operated devices also con- ROSARIO GENOVESE. 5 nected With said blade and adapted to oper- WVit-nesses: 7

ate it. Y O. MULREANY, In testimony that I claim the foregoing as S. ANDREWS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the C'ommiss"ion-er of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

